Plain and Fancy

Wednesday, January 15, 2025

Ache - De Homine Urbano / Green Man (1970-71 denmark, beautiful concept art psych early prog rock, 2010 remaster)

Prog was, and continues to be, a worldwide musical force. We think about bands from the UK, Holland, Germany, Italy – even Argentina but there was a burgeoning Prog scene as far away as Denmark and Ache were one of the prime exponents of the form over there.

The line up of the Olafsson brothers (Torsten, Bass & Finn, guitar) along with Peter Mellin on keys and Glen Fisher on drums created, as Proggists tend to do, the world’s first Rock Ballet in ‘De Homine Urbano’ (About Urban Man) and if you strip away the pretentiousness of that concept the album is a real cracker. Mellin’s Hammond work is superb and Finn Olafsson demonstrates real dexterity in his guitar playing. – a lovely fluid sound full of soul and miles away from the Blues riffery of many of his contemporaries.

The vocals are fine, albeit a bit of an afterthought but it is the orchestral feel to the rock music that makes the band – they claim The Nice as influences and you can definitely hear that band’s sound signatures here although there is also the feel of The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown and some of the darkness of Atomic Rooster in the music.

The debut album consists of two tracks, each an album side in length but you do not feel that they are stretching to try and fill it out – the length of the songs is justified.

‘Green Man’ is – to quote Torsten Olafssson – “Ache Rock Theatre – a dramatical art form based upon the coordination of heavy rock music, psychedelic light, dancing and acting” and it most definitely has the feel of a stage inspired series of tracks – be nice to see a DVD of the whole show at some time – and has moved into a heavier and more dramatic place. The music is more powerful and you really can sense the development of the band as musicians although there is a little less of the sweet naivety of the first album.

These guys were – and are – musicians of real quality and they produced two albums that are never less than interesting. Of the two I would probably go for ‘De Homine Urbano’ but they both have a place on my decks.

by Andy Snipper, 02 December 2012

Ache, a Danish band formed in 1968 that recorded two progressive rock albums in the seventies. Denmark isn't a well-known country as far as progressive rock is concerned. They first releases were "De Homine Urbano" (1970) and "Green Man" (1971). At the time, the band's line-up consisted of Torsten Olafsson (bass, vocals), Finn Olafsson (guitar, vocals), Peter Mellin (organ, piano) and Glen Fisher (drums, percussion). Ache first came to the attention of the public in Denmark with their debut De Homine Urbano, meaning 'about urban man'. This piece of music was the first rock ballet ever, performed in 1969 by the Royal Danish Ballet Company in Copenhagen. The original vinyl album contained two pieces of music, on each side one. The A-side featured the title track divided into ten parts. The track on the B-side was called Little Things. Both pieces contain approximately nineteen minutes of music mostly inspired by bands as The Nice and Iron Butterfly. I guess that Dutch band Ekseption could have been an inspiration as well. I even heard touches of The Zombies with Rod Argent behind the Hammond.

The music they composed was mainly based on Peter Mellin's powerful Hammond organ sound and the fluent guitar playing of Finn Olafsson. He both played the electric and the acoustic guitars. The two pieces on De Homine Urbano mainly contain large instrumental parts on which both musicians could show off. However, the band also used their vocal capabilities rather well. The voices of the Olafsson brothers are both worthwhile listening to. The band also had the talent to write good songs for the album features rather melodic compositions.

This also applies to their second album Green Man released in June 1971. It continued the musical style of their debut. The album contains seven shorter compositions including the Lennon-McCartney song We Can Work It Out. They covered this song a bit like Deep Purple did on The Book Of Taliesyn (1968). This version has more organ parts than the original one. The other tracks are more song orientated than the material on their first offering, but again, as I said before, all worthwhile listening to.

by Henri Strik

Tracks

1. De Homine Urbano (Torsten Olafsson, Peter Mellin arr. Ache) - 18:44

a) Overture

b) Soldier Theme

c) Ballerina Theme

d) Pas de Deux

e) Ogre Theme

f) Awakening

g) The Dance Of The Demons

h) Pas de Trojs

i) The Last Attempt

j) Finale

2. Little Things (Torsten Olafsson, Peter Metlin arr. Ache) - 19:11

3. Equatorial Rain (Torsten Olafsson) - 7:03

4. Sweet Jolly Joyce (Finn Olafsson) - 3:50

5. The Invasion - 6:01

a) Faniatonade (Peter Mellin)

b) Invasion (Torsten Olafsson)

c) Monologue (Torsten Olafsson)

d) Break Down (Glen Fischer)

6. Shadow Of A Gipsy (Peter Mellin) - 4:40

7. Green Man (Torsten Olafsson, Finn Olafsson) - 4:41

8. Acheron (Peter Mellin) - 4:49

9. We Can Work It Out/Workin' (John Lennon, Paul McCartney arr.Ache) - 8:42

Tracks 1-2 from "De Homine Urbano" 1970

Tracks 3-9 from "Green Man" 1971

Ache

*Torsten Olafsson - Bass, Vocals

*Finn Olafsson - Guitar, Vocals

*Peter Mellin - Organ, Keyboards

*Glen Fisher - Drums, Percussion

Tuesday, January 14, 2025

Montrose - Montrose (1973 us, awesome hard rock, 2017 deluxe double disc remaster)

While not exactly a commercial success in their heyday, cult hard rock band Montrose has been hugely influential on a number of artists; their debut album from 1973 took thirteen years to go platinum and in the interim, it seems they have been all but forgotten again. The people at Audio Fidelity Discs are doing their best to rectify that situation as they have given the svelte gold disc treatment to this somewhat neglected classic.

Listening to the album today, I come away amazed that it didn't sell like a typical outing from AC/DC, Kiss or Aerosmith. As cheerfully brainless as any of those bands, but just as much fun, Montrose deserved stadium rock band status. From the first note to the last, the music is as punch drunk energetic as a high school keg party.

"Rock the Nation", "Bad Motor Scooter", "Good Rockin' Tonight" and "One Thing on My Mind" are rock and roll simplicity personified, very American, very loud and brutish. You can't listen to these songs without wanting to crank the volume! "Space Station #5" is a bona fide classic, Ronnie Montrose's spacey introductory guitar effects giving way to the best song Led Zeppelin never wrote. "Rock Candy" is arguably Sammy Hagar's crowning achievement, delivering lyrics such as "'Cos you're rock candy baby/You're hot, sweet and sticky" with just the kind of swagger they deserve. Denny Carmassi's drums cut through this track with unbelievable groove and power.

While Van Halen certainly deserve credit for creating a number of exciting albums, there are several eerie coincidences served up just five years later on that band's legendary debut: Van Halen recruited Montrose's producer, engineer and many elements of the Montrose sound (not to mention their singer in later years!), albeit with far more emphasis on the histrionics and took that formula all the way to the bank.

Audio Fidelity's recent remaster is an absolute must for Montrose fans. It's a vast improvement over the more readily available CD version on Warner Brothers. No, you don't get bonus tracks or fancy packaging. Yes, you'll have to pay a little more for the gold disc. So scoop one up fast before you have to pay top dollar on Ebay for these collectible limited editions.

by Steve Pettengill, February 12th 2006

The 2017 Deluxe edition with remastered sound, includes liner notes and a bonus disc made up of demos and a live radio recording made before the band even had a name. It was taped in April of 1973 for radio station KSAN when the group were last minute fill-ins for Van Morrison. They rip through a ten song set of originals and covers, with Ronnie Montrose sounding like a beast on guitar. Also on the disc are six demos cut in 1973, with a speeded up early version of "Rock Candy" and one song, "Shoot Us Down," that didn't make the final cut. These extras help make a classic album even more of one.

by Eduardo Rivadavia

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Rock The Nation (Ronnie Montrose) - 3:03

2. Bad Motor Scooter (Sammy Hagar) - 3:43

3. Space Station #5 (Sammy Hagar, Ronnie Montrose) - 5:17

4. I Don't Want It (Sammy Hagar, Ronnie Montrose) - 2:59

5. Good Rockin' Tonight (Roy Brown) - 2:59

6. Rock Candy (Denny Carmassi, Bill Church, Sammy Hagar, Ronnie Montrose) - 5:05

7. One Thing On My Mind (Sammy Hagar, Ronnie Montrose, J. Sanchez) - 3:41

8. Make It Last (Sammy Hagar) - 5:33

Disc 2

1. One Thing On My Mind (Sammy Hagar, Ronnie Montrose, J. Sanchez) - 3:40

2. Shoot Us Down (Ronnie Montrose) - 4:32

3. Rock Candy (Denny Carmassi, Bill Church, Sammy Hagar, Ronnie Montrose) - 3:55

4. Good Rockin' Tonight (Roy Brown) - 3:20

5. I Don't Want It (Sammy Hagar, Ronnie Montrose) - 3:07

6. Make It Last (Sammy Hagar) - 4:06

7. Intro 0:54

8. Good Rockin' Tonight (Roy Brown) - 3:55

9. Rock Candy (Denny Carmassi, Bill Church, Sammy Hagar, Ronnie Montrose) - 4:46

10.Bad Motor Scooter (Sammy Hagar) - 5:01

11.Shoot Us Down (Ronnie Montrose) - 4:54

12.One Thing On My Mind (Sammy Hagar, Ronnie Montrose, J. Sanchez) - 3:27

13.Rock The Nation (Ronnie Montrose) - 4:55

14.Make It Last (Sammy Hagar) - 6:04

15.You're Out Of Time (Ronnie Montrose) - 3:35

16.Roll Over Beethoven (Chuck Berry) - 4:53

17.I Don't Want It (Sammy Hagar, Ronnie Montrose) - 3:55

Tracks 1-6 Demo Recordings

Tracks 7-17 KSAN Radio Sessions at Record Plant, Sausalito, CA - April 21, 1973

Montrose

*Sammy Hagar - Lead vocals

*Ronnie Montrose - Guitar

*Bill Church - Bass

*Denny Carmassi - Drums

Saturday, January 11, 2025

Back Jack - Back Jack (1974-75 us, solid hard pre-stoner rock, 2024 release)

In 1974 and 1975, Back Jack laid down tracks that, decades later, would finally surface thanks to RidingEasy Records, capturing the raw energy of a band at its creative apex. These recordings, with standouts like ‘She’s Been Down So Long’ and ‘California,’ reveal their knack for blending bluesy grit with progressive rock elements, underpinned by tight, powerful rhythms and soulful, unpolished vocals. While they never cracked into the mainstream, their standout performance at the KSHE Kite Fly Contest—where they played alongside heavyweights like Charlie Daniels and Rush—solidified their status as underground legends in the local rock scene.

Though the group disbanded shortly after, Back Jack’s recordings remain a time capsule of the region’s vibrant rock scene, preserved through reel-to-reel and cassette tapes tracked down over the last 15 years. Today, they are celebrated as a hidden gem of the Midwest, reflecting the rawness and rebellious spirit of rock in the 1970s.

by Klemen Breznikar, September 9, 2024

Tracks

1. Bridge Waters Dynamite - 3:51

2. Reefer Madness - 2:24

3. Gearhead - 4:07

4. Satisfied Man - 8:24

5. Assault And Battery - 3:49

6. As You Were - 3:05

7. Tomorrow - 6:00

8. California - 7:05

9. She's Been Down So Long - 4:01

10.Over and Over - 6:07

11.Rock 'n' Roll Boogie - 2:43

12.Phonic Voyage - 4:26

13.Silver Star - 1:52

Back Jack

*Mike Collier - Guitar, Lead Vocals

*Kim Mckinney - Bass Guitar, Vocals

*Hans Myers - Drums

*Jeff Ballew - Guitar, Vocals

*Mike Lusher - Drums, Vocals

1971-72 Barefoot Jerry - Southern Delight/Barefoot Jerry

Friday, January 10, 2025

Barefoot Jerry - Watchin' TV / You Can't Get Off With Your Shoes On (1974-75 us, enriched country folk rock)

In 1974 Barefoot Jerry moved to Monument label, and to additional lineup replacements (Si Edwards on drums, Dave Doran on bass, Fred Newell on vocals) characterized 1974's Watchin' TV, which featured Moss' friend Charlie McCoy. Barefoot Jerry returned the favor on McCoy's country hits "Boogie Woogie" and "Summit Ridge Drive." The following year, after Barefoot Jerry recorded You Can't Get Off With Your Shoes On.

Both are excellent albums. However, being a band made up of jobbing musicians with other commitments, Barefoot Jerry hardly ever played live outside of their Nashville base. This almost certainly, restricted their ability to build a fanbase. Ironic then, that the only footage of them during their peak comes from French TV, when they did for once, venture out to promote their fourth LP ‘You Can’t Get Off With Your Shoes On’. The album was perhaps a bit patchy compared to its predecessors, but nevertheless contains some great music, not least the splendid title track.

Other band members included Terry Dearmore, Kenny Buttrey, Jim Colvard, Dave Doran, Si Edwards, John Harris, Warren Hartman, Russ Hicks, Kenny Malone, Charlie McCoy, and Fred Newell. Wayne Moss was honoured by his home state of West Virginia, being inducted into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame in November 2013.

Tracks

1. Watchin' TV (With The Radio On) (Wayne Moss) - 3:38

2. Funny Lookin' Eyes (Bobby Thompson, Wayne Moss) - 3:43

3. Pig Snoots And Nehi Red (Buddy Skipper, Fred Newell) - 3:11

4. Hay Queen (Russ Hicks) - 3:23

5. Two Mile Pike (Buddy Skipper, Russ Hicks) - 4:03

6. Faded Love (Bob Wills, John Wills) - 4:14

7. There Must Be A Better Way (Dave Doran, Wayne Moss) - 3:20

8. If There Were Only Time For Love (Wayne Moss) - 3:47

9. Violets And Daffodils (Bobby Thompson, Wayne Moss) - 2:59

10.Mother Nature's Way Of Saying High (Bobby Thompson, Wayne Moss) - 5:39

11.Ali Baba (I. Dearmore, Terry Dearmore) - 4:22

12.Boogie Woogie (C. "Pine Top" Smith) - 2:31

13.Slowin' Down (Wayne Moss) - 3:43

14.You Can't Get Off With Your Shoes On (Wayne Moss) - 2:45

15.West Side Of Mississippi (Russ Hicks, John Wills) - 4:03

16.Measure Of Your Worth (Terry Dearmore, Warren Hartman) - 3:52

17.Lucille (Albert Collins, Richard Penniman) - 3:11

18.Hero Frodo (Russ Hicks, Wayne Manning) - 3:24

19.Sinkin' In The Sea (Warren Hartman) - 4:08

20.Cades Cove (Russ Hicks, Wayne Moss) - 4:42

Tracks 1-10 from "Watchin' TV" 1974

Tracks 11-20 from "You Can't Get Off With Your Shoes On" 1975

Personnel

*Wayne Moss - Bass, Lead Guitar, Strings, Vocals

*Russ Hicks - Steel Guitar, Horns, Strings, Vocals

*Si Edwards - Drums, Percussion

*Bobby Thompson - Acoustic Guitar, Bass, Backing Vocals (Tracks 1-10,12)

*Dave Doran - Lead Guitar, Bass, Backing Vocals (Tracks 1-10)

*Fred Newell - Bass, Harmonica, Strings, Backing Vocals (Tracks 1-10,12)

*Buddy Skipper - Bells, Strings, Horns (Tracks 1-10,12)

*Kenny Malone - Drums, Percussion (Tracks 1-10)

*John Harris - Keyboards, Vocals (Tracks 1-10)

*Terry Dearmore - Bass, Harmonica, Electric Guitar, Acoustic, Rhythm Guitar, Backing Vocals (Tracks 11,13-20)

*Jim Colvard - Lead Guitar, Bass, Acoustic Guitar, Backing Vocals (Tracks 11,13-20)

*Warren Hartman - Piano, Clavinet, Synthesizer, Organ, Mellotron, Horns, Backing Vocals (Tracks 11,13-20)

*James Carlisle Isbell - Drums, Percussion (Track 12)

*Charlie McCoy - Harmonica (Track 12)

1976 Graham Parker And The Rumour - Howlin Wind

Thursday, January 9, 2025

Lizard - Bad Companions (1973 australia, fine jazz prog rock)

Rare Aussie prog Lizard – Bad Companions LP release date on August 1973. Lizard progressive rock band from Sydney Australia. An interesting progressive blues-rock album, with elements of jazz-fusion thrown in for good measure. A couple of standout tracks are “Page Missing From My Book”, appealing blues-based boogie performed in an exploratory manner, and “Rehabilitation Boogie”, one of the finest bluesy jazz fusion tracks ever committed to vinyl by an Aussie combo! Lizard split up in early 1973 after having laid down several tracks at EMI Studios (Sydney) during December 1972. These tracks eventually appeared on the band’s “Rosalyn” b/w “Cecil” single (released 7 June 1973), and “Bad Companions” LP.

Initially, the album was slated to appear as “Starve the Lizards”, but this was replaced by the “Bad Companions” title. Michael (Mick) Tulk had previously played guitar with British freak-beat band The Untamed during the mid-1960s. Greg Hill, Dave Conners and Rob Souter had previously been members of the Sydney-based White Wine, although none of them actually played on the band’s “Overflow” LP (Festival 1970). Mick Tulk and Dave Conners also appeared on Gulliver Smith’s “The Band is Alright But the Singer Is…” LP (Reprise 1973). Dave Conners obviously spent some time in the UK—he also performed on the following LPs: Jade Warrior “Released” (Vertigo 1971) and Graham Parker & The Rumour’s “Howlin’ Wind” (1976). Here’s another little known fact: Rob Souter was drummer for the Dynamic Hepnotics (1980-86). Quite an impressive musical heritage!

Tracks

1. Intro - 0:58

2. Page Missing From My Book (Mick Tulk, Gulliver Smith) - 7:33

3. Tarot Cards - 6:06

4. Rosalyn - 3:25

5. People People - 3:28

6. Cecil - 4:58

7. Rehabilitation Boogie - 6:37

All music by Mick Tulk, John Wheelerm, Greg Hill, Dave Conners, Rob Souter except where stated, Lyrics by Gulliver Smith

Lizard

*Mick Tulk - Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar

*John Wheeler - Lead Guitar

*Greg Hill - Bass

*Dave Conners - Saxophone

*Rob Souter - Drums

Wednesday, January 8, 2025

Lotti Golden - Motor-Cycle (1969 us, stellar jazzy psych rock, 2011 remaster)

I look forward to a time when labels will once again release hard-driving soul albums that play out like one long, campy musical. I guess R. Kelly’s episodic soap opera “Trapped in the Closet Pts. 1-whatever” is sort of in the ballpark, but while Kels offers his own Serge Gainsbourgian lecherousness, Lotti Golden leads us into the bizarre excursions of the late-’60s underground freaks. So fertile was the music scene of that period that an album of restlessly epic roadhouse suites could be released on a major label.

Golden gets help on Motor-Cycle from an impeccably arranged Atlantic Records session band. They give the album a wall-of-sound heft when called for and lay the foundation, in the midst of all that brass, with a flawless, swinging rhythm team. Then, at key moments, the curtain goes up and they’ve got rows of saxes, trumpets, vibes, and churchfuckingbells behind them, and you begin to realize that this is not the same song and dance. Furthermore, everyone is committed never to repeat the same progression for more than, say, 30 seconds, but also knows that at some point the song will return to each segment, just to remind you how great it was the first time around.

So, there’s that, and the emcee for this aberrant cabaret is Lotti Golden, nexus of the intemperate adventure starring a cast of sex fiends, drug addicts, and other proponents of the In The Now school of living. Motor-Cycle is exactly the sort of hazy deviant party you always hoped the late-’60s was. It plays out roughly like this: Lotti’s got a thing for this kid Michael, who “lets me ride his motorcycle.” But Michael’s truth machine was starting to breakdown, so she heads to Fay’s, the meet-up spot for her coterie of malcontents. Anabell’s gonna be there, Silky’s gonna be there, Billy is gonna drop by, Celia’s gonna come by. But for Fay, whose French poodles keep her satisfied, it’s her doctor’s pills that keep her high, and she’s in trouble with the meds.

“Hey man, did you hear what happened to Fay? Yeah, it’s really a drag, what a bring-down. So where do you want to go? Rosie’s? That’s cool. Out of sight man, we’ll dig it!”

And so the whole party up and moves to Rosie’s. No pause for introspection on poor Fay’s demise, no lessons learned, none of that crap; the good times must roll on. That’s kind of the M.O. of Motor-Cycle. If something heavy happens, slow the music down for a second, give a wail, then move on. With a crowd this colorful, there’s always another story to tell. Silky “had to get married quick in her mama’s red dress in a civil courthouse in Georgia.” Her baby was baptized on a Monday, an occasion for Lotti to sip milk from a champagne glass in the rain. Problem is, Silky’s got a thing for drag queens, who have great parties but make shitty fathers. Silky wants a straight man this time, a real butch guy. A bit of soul searching ensues, but not enough to interrupt the groove. Fact is, that groove is so infectious and permeating that you really have to pay attention to pick up on all the freaky storylines. It’s much simpler and just as pleasurable to latch onto that bass-line and horn hook and just ride along.

Motor-Cycle is that rare party record that’s got a bizarre story behind it while still being a freak-show record that you can throw on at dance parties. To make a crude comparison, it’s as if The Velvet Underground recorded for Motown. In short: debauchery with a beat. Dig it.

by Path, May 29, 2008

Tracks

1. Motor-Cycle Michael - 8:14

2. Gonna Fay's - 8:31

3. A Lot Like Lucifer (Celia Said Long Time Loser) - 6:32

4. The Space Queens (Silky Is Sad) - 7:21

5. Who Are Your Friends (Lotti Golden, Bob Crewe) - 5:52

6. Get Together (With Yourself) - 5:36

7. You Can Find Him - 5:13

8. Annabelle With Bells - 4:12

9. Sock It To Me Baby - 3:29

All songs written by Lotti Golden except where stated

Musicians

*Lotti Golden - Vocals

*Billy Suyker - Guitar

*Charley Macey- Guitar

*Everett Barksdale- Guitar

*Hugh McCracken- Guitar

*Ralph Cassales- Guitar

*Vinnie Bell- Guitar

*Everett Barksdale - Bass

*Lou Mauro - Bass

*Bobby Gregg - Drums

*Buddy Saltzman - Drums

*Herb Lovelle - Drums

*Ernie Hayes - Piano*Organ

*Joe Grimm - Saxophone

*Alan Raph - Trombone

*Ernie Royal - Trumpet

Monday, January 6, 2025

Manna - Manna (1972 us, pleasant smooth southern rock)

Not much is known about Manna. The album was recorded by Robert Paul 'Bobby' Guidotti (drums), Anthony Dean and James Daniel (guitar) and Denny Correll (vocals, RIP 2002). Correll came from the Blues Image. Guidotti was later supporting Chris Thompson. There is little information about the origin of the band Manna, the name could be due to the biblical 'manna (bread)'. On the other hand, the musicians could also have been referring to the 1971 Bread album Manna.

At no point Manna redefine music. But there's something about their idea of (then) contemporary rock music with a certain Southern heft that appeals to me immensely. It rocks in an extremely pleasant way, while at the same time the band rarely loses itself in banalities. On the contrary: Bread may have been an influence, but so were the Allman Brothers, CSNY, McCartney and so on. Many influences, but here they don't spoil the broth.

Tracks

1. Good Old Rock And Roll (Frank Konte, Dennis Correll) - 2:49

2. Tell Me Why (James Daniel, Anthony Dean) - 3:23

3. Save The Country (James Daniel, Anthony Dean) - 3:07

4. What Ya Gonna Do (Dennis Correll, Frank Konte) - 3:04

5. We Can Make It (Dennis Correll, Frank Konte) - 3:10

6. Red Man (James Daniel, Anthony Dean) - 4:52

7. Southern Bound (James Daniel, Anthony Dean) - 2:42

8. Clap Your Hands (James Daniel, Anthony Dean) - 2:58

9. Hold On (Frank Konte) - 4:48

10.New Day’s Coming (James Daniel, Anthony Dean, Bobby Guidotti) - 4:05

11.Children Of The Mountain (Frank Konte) - 5:00

Mana

*Dennis Correll - Vocals

*Anthony Dean - Guitar

*James Daniel - Guitar

*Bobby Guidotti - Drums

Sunday, January 5, 2025

Pearl Handle Band - Pearl Handle (1980-82 us, fine hard southern blues rock)

50 years ago guitarist/vocalist George Milspaugh, guitarist Dan Hurc, bass player Mickey Gentile and drummer Dean Aliotta got together to play at a Halloween barn party in rural Waterman, Illinois back in 1974. That was the birth of Pearl Handle. After honing their chops at colleges and in clubs for a few years, they headed to Nashville to record an album. But before it could get released, the label and studio went out of business. A few years later, to everyone in the band’s surprise, while a friend was thumbing through cassette tapes at a truck stop, what did he find? A Pearl Handle tape! How did this happen?

Emerging in the ‘70s, Pearl Handle set themselves apart from most of the other club bands who were trying to be the next rock stars with their Southern rock/outlaw country influences that proved popular. Dressed in blue jeans and cowboy boots, and George in his wide-brimmed western hat, you’d think they were from Texas, not Chicago.

Milspaugh started gigging in bands back in high school. He sowed his roots in the Kiwis, Captain Soul and Cox’s Army. Hurc and Aliotta, had already teamed in Hoona with Dean’s brother Ted. Gentile had just returned home after his college years at Southern Illinois University. Hurc, who had started out on bass, had moved over to guitar giving Pearl Handle dual guitar lead capabilities, especially important when they covered the Southern rock sounds of the Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

On stage, Milspaugh fronted the band. His large physical presence with a gruff appearance while swigging down some Jack Daniels reminiscent of a roadhouse rowdy, he had a personality that you would never want to get into a bar fight with him, but if you were with someone else, he would be the first to back you up. His piercing, vibrato-soaked, in your face vocals; dynamic slide guitar chops and limber, high-kicking stage antics were the driving force of the band.

After six years sharpening their stage presence opening for Journey and Van Halen and building a repertoire of original material, it was time to head into the studio and cut an album.

“We got an offer from Sunbird Records,” remembers Milspaugh in an interview with Sweet Home Music. “We sent them a demo of our songs and that’s what started the whole session.”

They would head to Nashville. Working with producer Nelson Larkin of Sunbird Records, and famed country studio engineer Ron “Snake” Reynolds, they were armed with a set of originals along with a couple of songs offered up by their producer. The tracks were cut, mostly one-take sessions. They didn’t get finished before the band had to head back on the road.

“We were told we would return to finish everything in a couple weeks,” according to Milspaugh. But then, “We never heard from the studio after we returned to Chicago,” only to find out Sunbird went out of business and the band was not able to recover the tapes.

“We never heard another thing about those recordings until three or four years later. A friend of mine had called and he had just returned from a trip to Nashville. He told me he was in a record store checking out cassettes in the bargain bin, and he saw the Pearl Handle ‘Brylen’ tape.”

No one in the band had any idea. Apparently, Brylen Records, a small independent Nashville label, had gained access to the Sunbird tapes and released a seven-song album Pearl Handle (Brylen 4420) in 1982 (That “bootlegged” album now fetches $60+ in collector circles).

The trail for the Pearl Handle band seemed to end there. Disappointed after the loss of their record, and the band worn down from the years on the road, it was time to take a break.

Milspaugh would just take a break, working jobs as a bouncer and bartender at Lincoln Avenue bars. Gentile and Hurc continued on as the rhythm section for Dirt’s Raiders, a post-Boyzz band formed by their frontman ‘Dirty’ Dan Buck. They would get a demo deal offer from Atlantic Records, but that deal would also fizzle out.

None of those were full-time jobs. Mickey Gentile had taken a day job with Warner-Elektra-Atlantic where he would hold down a marketing position. Ironically, Sunbird studio producer Nelson Larkin had been named President of WEA Nashville in charge of the Atlantic Records’ country catalog. Gentile bumped into him at a company convention and inquired about the Pearl Handle tapes. No resolved was reached in that conversation, but mysteriously a while later, the original Pearl Handle tapes were delivered to Gentile’s doorstep.

Gentile sat on those tapes, not really knowing what to do with them. Then another part of Pearl Handle’s past came to light. Pre-Pearl Handle Milspaugh had been in Cox’s Army. They had released a single in 1971 on the local Chaparral label. In recent years, that record has been fetching upwards of $100 in record collector circles.

by Ken Voss, Apr 28, 2024

Tracks

1. Better And Better - 4:34

2. Going Down Again - 4:43

3. Can't Live With You, Cant Live Without You Blues - 3:05

4. Lucille (Little Richard, Albert Collins) - 2:58

5. Young Stuff - 6:13

6. Down In The Alley - 6:55

7. Four Until Late (Robert Johnson) - 3:32

8. Call For The Doctor (Ron " Snake" Reynolds) - 3:05

9. Stranded On A Dead End Street (Earl Thomas Conely) - 2:25

10.Late Night Lover - 3:09

11.Yes No Maybe So - 3:11

12.Nasty Ways - 3:36

All songs by George Millspaugh, Dan Hurc, Albert Mickey Gentile, Dean Aliotta except where stated

Pearl Handle Band

*George Millspaug - Lead Vocals, Guitar

*Dan Hurc - Guitar

*Albert {Mickey) Gentile - Bass

*Dean Aliotta - Drums